Kerry Central Regional Water Supply Scheme

This €30 million project provided for a safe and secure water supply for residents, industry, agriculture and tourism in the area as well as ensuring 62,000 customers are removed from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Remedial Action List (RAL).

Over 62,000 people depend on the Kerry Central Regional Water Supply Scheme which serves one of the main tourist regions in Ireland including Tralee, Killarney, Castleisland, Castlemaine. 

The scheme abstracts raw water from Lough Guitane and, until the completion of this project, did not have an effective treatment system that incorporated a cryptosporidium barrier to treat the raw water. This meant that the areas supplied by the Kerry Central Regional Water Supply Scheme were at risk due to the lack of sufficient water treatment and were on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Remedial Action List (RAL). 

This €30 million project ensures a safe and secure water supply to these communities. The new water treatment plant is among the largest in the country and provides over 50 million litres of drinking water every day. 

Benefits

• Removal of approximately 62,000 people from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Remedial Action List (RAL)
• Reduced number of THMs in water with upgrade to treatment facility
• Ensures a sustainable supply of drinking water for residents, businesses and industry
• Improved drinking water quality

Steps

• Upgrade of intakes, including a hydroelectric power turbine
• 15million litres of water storage (equivalent of 6 Olympic sized swimming pools)
• Process water treatment including recycling to conserve water and protect the environment
• Pumping stations & pipelines